The Federal Government has approved about N180 million for Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to fight corruption at the nation’s seaports.
Magdalene Ajani, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation said on Wednesday, who was represented by Babatunde Sule stated this at the 3rd round table discussion on Maritime Sector Reforms: “Consolidating The Gains,” organised by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).
She said that the Federal Government instructed Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide funds and operational vehicles for the Port Standing Task Team.
She said that the government agencies were instructed to provide N60 million each for the Port Standing Task Team in order to carry on the anti-corruption crusade across the nation’s Ports.
However, she hinted that port administration policy is such that port users are able to demand, track, and ensure greater compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by Government agencies, incidences of corrupt demands as it ‘relates to vessel clearance have reduced.
She said that government capacity to establish policy on compliance systems and collaborate with the private sector and civil society to improve trade flows and the ease of doing business are being strengthened.
“The Federal Ministry of Transportation through the NSC, the Technical Unit on Government and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in collaboration with the MACN and CBI, Nigeria have built maritime sector is poised to augment its standing by further institutionalizing and continuously sustain its reforms,” she added.
Moses Fadipe, the national coordinator of PSTT, confirmed that Federal Government approved N180 million for the operations of the task team, saying that only the Nigerian Shippers’ Council being the leading agency has responded to the Government’s instruction.
He revealed that other agencies, which include NIMASA and NPA, are yet to respond and the PSTT has not received anything from them.
